Method of in vivo monitoring of the condition of an internal surgical repair

ABSTRACT

A method of in vivo monitoring the condition of an internal body repair in which an imageable, non-absorbable repair device having non-absorbable, particulate imaging material substantially uniformly dispersed therein has been surgically inserted, including: in vivo sensing of dimensional deformation of said repair device during the post-surgical healing process; comparing the sensed values with a previously developed correlation between said sensed values and the values at which failure occurs of comparable repair devices; wherein said sensed values relative to the repair device&#39;s failure values, considered in conjunction with the anticipated time for complete healing of said repair, provides information as to the condition of the repair.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to elastic, stretchable, polymeric,non-absorbable surgical repair devices having an imaging materialdispersed therein and, more particularly, to a method of in vivomonitoring the condition of an internal surgical repair in a livingthing in which such repair devices have been surgically inserted withinthe body to effect the repair.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Following many surgical procedures in a living thing (human or animal)it is important or advantageous to be able to monitor in vivo thecondition of surgical repair devices inserted during the procedure inorder to monitor the healing progress of the surgical repair. Surgicalrepairs may fail, require repair or require removal for any number ofreasons, including, inter alia, foreign body rejection, poor surgicalrepair device insertion, surgical repair device stretching or deformingand breaking or failure in some other detrimental fashion.

Typically useful surgical repair devices include non-absorbablepolymeric sutures, which may be monofilamentary or multifilamentary andformed of polyamides or other synthetic polymers. Also in common use arepolymeric foil and mesh implants. Foil implants are smooth polyamide orother synthetic polymeric, substantially planar sheets having athickness from 0.01-2.0 mm. Mesh implants are woven or knit material ofopen texture formed of polyamide or other synthetic polymeric fabric.

Heretofore, surgical devices, such as stents, have been inserted intobody lumens to maintain open lumen passageways and external imagingdevices have been used to assure the accuracy of stent insertion and tomonitor stent placement in the lumens. This monitoring, however, doesnot address the condition of the affected body part and does not informthe physician regarding the healing status of the body part.Illustrative of this is U.S. Patent Application Publication2009/0076594, dated Mar. 19, 2009 to Sabaria which discloses stentswhich are generally cylindrical in configuration and formed ofbiodegradable, biocompatible and bioresorbable materials. The stentsinclude one or more discrete or coated markers which may be detectedexternal to the body by conventional imaging means, such as x-ray orother electromagnetic radiation detection methods, MRI or ultrasound,Preferably, the markers are applied by crimping a ribbon onto a strut ofthe stent, by partially sputtering a heavy metal coating onto all orpart of the stent, or by any number of other techniques. The markers areused to monitor the deployment and placement of the stent at desiredlocations within lumens. Certain types of markers may be used to monitorthe length, diameter and 3-D orientation of the stent in the lumen.However, for these purposes only discrete markers can be used which arespecifically and accurately located on the stent in order to allowexamining the location of the markers relative to one another. Thus, todetermine stent length, first and second discrete markers are crimpedonto the stent such that their spatial orientation is such that they lieon a line with a component vector parallel to the longitudinal axis ofthe stent. To determine stent diameter, first and second discretemarkers are crimped onto the stent such that their spatial orientationis such that they lie on a line with a component vector perpendicular tothe longitudinal axis of the stent. Likewise, to determine 3-Dorientation, first and second discrete markers are crimped onto thestent such that their spatial orientation is such that they lie on aline with a component vector perpendicular to the longitudinal axis ofthe stent plus a third discrete marker is crimped onto the stent suchthat its spatial orientation is such that it lies on a line with acomponent vector parallel to the longitudinal axis of the stent. Fromthis requirement for discrete markers to be placed at specific locationswith specific orientations it follows that in order to have the abilityto make dimensional measurements of the stent, the markers may not beuniformly dispersed throughout the stent. It is also noteworthy thatthese dimensional stent measurements bear no relevance whatever to thecondition of the affected body part and do not inform the physicianregarding the healing status of the body part. Likewise the use of thesediscrete markers to monitor the rate of pre-programmed degradation ofdifferent regions of the stent also bears no relevance whatever to thecondition of the affected body part and does not inform the physicianregarding the healing status of the body part.

It is, therefore, apparent that prior methods for monitoring surgicalrepair devices inserted within a living body were never intended to anddo not provide a method of in vivo monitoring the condition of aninternal surgical repair in a living body in which such repair deviceswere surgically inserted to effect the repair.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with one aspect, the present invention provides a methodof in vivo monitoring the condition of an internal body repair in ahuman or animal in which imageable, non-absorbable repair device, havingnon-absorbable, particulate imaging material substantially uniformlydispersed therewithin, which device deforms due to stresses of thehealing process has been surgically inserted within the body to effectthe repair, comprising:

in vivo sensing using an external to the body imaging device by amedical practitioner of dimensional deformation of or imaging materialconcentration changes in said imageable repair device during thepost-surgical healing process;

comparing the sensed imaging material concentration changes ordimensional deformation with a previously developed correlation betweensaid sensed imaging material concentration or dimensional deformationand the value of said imaging material concentration or dimension atwhich failure occurs of repair devices having comparable size,construction and chemical composition characteristics;

wherein said sensed value of said imaging material concentration ordimension relative to the repair device's failure value of said imagingmaterial concentration or dimension, considered in conjunction with theanticipated time for complete healing of said repair, providesinformation to said medical practitioner as to the condition of therepair and is indicative of whether medical or surgical intervention isappropriate.

In another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method whereinsaid in vivo sensing and comparative analysis occurs repetitively atspaced time intervals subsequent to repair device insertion.

In still another aspect of the invention, there is provided a methodwherein said dimensional deformation of said imageable repair device isa decrease in the diameter of said repair device over a predeterminedlength of device.

In yet another aspect of the invention, there is provided a methodwherein said change in imaging material concentration in said imageablerepair device is a change in the concentration of imaging material overa predetermined length of device.

In another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method whereinsaid previously developed correlation is an in vivo correlation.

In yet another aspect of the invention, the imaging material isparticulate nanoparticles detectable by x-ray, electromagneticradiation, MRI or ultrasound imaging devices.

In yet another aspect of the invention, there is provided a methodwherein said imageable repair device is a radiopaque repair devicehaving non-absorbable, particulate radiopaque material substantiallyuniformly dispersed therewithin.

In still another aspect of the invention, the radiopaque repair devicecomprises non-absorbable, polymeric sutures.

In yet another aspect of the invention, there is provided a methodwherein the healing process of an internal surgical repair in a human oranimal body may be monitored by utilizing the unique properties ofsurgically inserted non-absorbable, polymeric repair devices havingnon-absorbable, particulate imaging material substantially uniformlydispersed therewithin using imaging devices such as x-rays, MRI andultrasound which are external to the body and which are capable ofvisualizing physical shape, distortion of physical shape, shifting oflongitudinal or radial layers of the repair devices as well as detectionand quantification of the physical location and concentration of theimaging materials within the repair device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an extrusion coated multifilament,non-absorbable radiopaque suture wherein the suture core comprises amultitude of polyamide filaments twisted or braided together and heatset and the overlying sheath contains substantially uniformly dispersedimaging material, such as radiopaque material.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of an extrusion coated multifilament,non-absorbable radiopaque suture wherein the suture core comprises amixture of polyamide filaments and previously extruded bundlescomprising a multitude of individual polyamide filaments twisted orbraided together, heat set and overcoated with a polyamide sheathcontaining substantially uniformly dispersed imaging material, such asradiopaque material.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a surgical mesh incorporatingsubstantially uniformly dispersed imaging material, such as radiopaquematerial, in the synthetic polymeric fabric.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a smooth synthetic polymeric foilimplant incorporating substantially uniformly dispersed imagingmaterial, such as radiopaque material, in the synthetic polymeric sheet.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a method of in vivo monitoring thecondition of an internal surgical repair in the body of a living thingin which imageable, non-absorbable, polymeric repair devices have beensurgically inserted within the body to effect the repair. Repair deviceswhich are typically useful include, but are not limited to,non-absorbable surgical sutures, polymeric foil and polymeric meshimplants. The non-absorbable, polymeric repair devices must, in order toachieve the desired monitoring, be visualizable in vivo utilizingimaging and sensing equipment to detect and quantify the distortion ofthe geometric dimensional deformation and imaging material concentrationchanges in the in vivo repair device during the post surgical healing ofthe surgical repair, as well as the shifting of longitudinal or radiallayers of the repair device. To accomplish this each repair deviceincludes imaging particles, desirably nanoparticles, substantiallyuniformly dispersed within the repair device to allow external sensingof the dimensional and imaging material concentration changes within therepair device, as well as mapping of the imaging particle migrationwithin the repair device, during the post surgical healing process. Thissensing and quantification of changes to the repair device allowscomparing the condition of the repair device at any moment in time witha previously developed correlation between such repair devicecharacteristics and their value at which failure of the repair deviceoccurs. This comparison informs the physician of the condition of therepair device and of the healing status of the body part.

Visualization of the uniquely informative property changes of theimaging particles during surgical repair healing may be sensed anddetected by x-ray or other electromagnetic radiation detection methods,magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and sonography, the latter being a typeof medical diagnostic imaging that uses high frequency sound waves, alsoknown as ultrasound, to produce images of organs, tissues, blood flowand non-absorbable surgical repair devices having imaging particlesdispersed therein. When utilizing x-ray or other electromagneticradiation detectors, the preferred imaging particles are radiopaqueparticles which are opaque to one or another form of electromagneticradiation. As used herein, the prefix “radio” is intended to include allradiation in the radio frequency domain which is useful for medicalimaging purposes. MRI visibility is achieved by use of a particle thatgenerates a magnetic susceptibiltity artifact such as a paramagnetic,ferromagnetic, non-ferromagnetic, or superparamagnetic substance.Sonographic visibility is achieved using imaging particles detectable byhigh frequency sound waves, which includes substantially all of theparticle types suitable for electromagnetic radiation and MRI detection.

The method of the present invention is widely applicable to many typesof surgical repairs. It is, nevertheless, particularly useful formonitoring the healing progress following tendon or cruciate repairusing sutures or hernia repairs using mesh or orbital floor repairsusing smooth foil implants. To illustrate and highlight the importanceof monitoring the healing process post surgical repair it is importantto consider an example of a surgical repair which benefits greatly frompost surgical monitoring, such as end to end tendon repairs. In thisparticular procedure it is widely accepted that it is most desirable tohave and maintain during the healing process the smallest possible gapbetween the tendon ends. This is important because that gap must befilled with granulation tissue during the entire healing process forsuccessful healing to take place.

In typical tendon repair the ideal gap between tendon ends is less thanone millimeter. However, in practice this may not always be possibledepending on many factors, including which of the various techniques forend to end tendon repair may have been used. In any event, the smallerthe gap between the tendon ends, the more quickly the gap will be filledby collagen and thus mature. This end to end tendon juncture is theweakest link in tendon repair and will be the first to yield undertension. The juncture will stretch before catastrophic rupture. Theamount of stretch during healing is directly proportional to the load onthe tendon and the unit length of the collagen material filling the gap.As the juncture stretches, the collagen material mass remains constantbut changes shape, narrowing at the point of greatest stress andincreasing the size of the juncture gap. This weakens the repair and canlead to catastrophic failure of the end to end tendon repair.

The actual technique used for end to end tendon repair and the suturematerial used are of critical importance to this healing process. Manystudies have been performed to determine the “best” includinginvestigations of the Bunnell criss-cross technique, traditional repairwith four simple sutures, the baseball stitch, the long mattress stitch,the short mattress stitch, and the lateral trap suture.

Typically in such studies, the comparisons of the different techniquesand suture materials are made through measurements of (1) thedestructing force which produces the gap between the tendon ends and (2)the force causing the ultimate rupture of the suture and thecatastrophic failure of the repair. While such studies offer valuableguidance regarding alternative techniques and suture materials, theyserve no purpose for in vivo diagnosis during the post surgical healingprocess.

To this end, and in light of the issues affecting good end to end tendonrepair results the present invention provides novel methods for in vivomonitoring of the healing process. These novel methods can be used tocharacterize, measure, and quantify the status of the surgical suturematerial used in the repair and thereby assess the strength of thejuncture gap. This in turn, allows diagnosis of the end to end tendonrepair healing process in vivo.

Inasmuch as all but metal surgical repair devices are transparent tovisualization, and the use of metal repair devices is frequentlyundesirable, it has been found that only the use of non-absorbable,polymeric repair devices having imaging properties provides thecapability of monitoring the healing progress of a surgical repair.Polymeric surgical repair devices require a unique combination ofphysical properties. They must be nonirritating, flexible and exhibithigh tensile strength. Additionally, they must retain their physicalproperties after conventional processing such as sterilization andresterilization. The most frequently used surgical repair devices arenon-absorbable polymeric sutures, although other well knownnon-absorbable polymeric repair devices, including but not limited topolymeric mesh and foil implants, are useful in the monitoring method ofthe present invention.

For ease of description and understanding, the instant method will bedescribed herein primarily using non-absorbable, polymeric sutures whichincorporate substantially uniformly dispersed radiopaque particles asthe imaging material as the surgical repair devices, although the methoddescribed is readily adaptable to use with devices other than sutures.One recently developed suitable polymeric radiopaque suture is describedin pending U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015/0327861,published Nov. 19, 2015, and assigned to the same assignee as thepresent invention, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein byreference.

Polymeric sutures must, in addition to the aforementioned physicalproperties, exhibit high knot strength. Additionally, sutures mustretain their physical properties after conventional processing such asdyeing, sterilization and resterilization. Some elasticity is requiredin the final suture structure to obtain the required knot strength andother properties to allow the suture to meet USP specifications. Suturesmay be visualized in real time using imaging devices external to thebody and may be made radiopaque by incorporating nanoparticle sizedimaging material substantially uniformly dispersed throughout the entirelength of the suture. In one useful suture construction, as described inthe aforementioned U.S. patent application publication, the suturecomprises a core of a plurality of twisted Polyamide 66 filamentsencased within a sheath of Polyamide 6 in which nanoparticle radiopaquematerials, such as tantalum or other radiopaque particles, aresubstantially uniformly dispersed to provide the desired radiopacityalong the entire length of the suture.

Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a cross section of an illustrativeradiopaque suture 10 useful in connection with the method of the presentinvention. Suture 10 comprises a core 12 formed of a multitude ofPolyamide 66 fibers 14 and an overcoated Polyamide 6 sheath 16 havingnanoparticle sized radiopaque material 18 substantially uniformlydispersed throughout the thickness and length of sheath 16. Another formof suture useful in the method of the present invention is shown in FIG.2, which illustrates a core 12 formed of previously extruded bundles 20of Polyamide 66 filaments 14 overcoated with a Polyamide 6 sheath 16,the core 12 being encased within sheath 16 which has been extrudedthereabout, the sheath 16 having nanoparticle sized radiopaque material18 substantially uniformly dispersed throughout its thickness andlength. Optionally, core 12 may include, in addition to bundles 20,individual Polyamide 66 filaments 14 to act as a filler in some of thespaces formed between the bundles 20. The sheath-core configuration ofthe multifilament sutures requires that the polyamide core filamentshave at least a 30° C. greater melting temperature than the polyamidesheath material to assure that the filaments in the core do not meltduring over coating of the sheath. Non-absorbable suture constructionssuch as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, without the incorporation of radiopaquematerial 18 substantially uniformly dispersed throughout sheath 16, arewell known and marketed under the trademark SUPRAMID® and SUPRAMIDEXTRA® in the U.S. by S. Jackson, Inc. of Alexandria, Va.

Referring to FIG. 3, there is shown an illustrative polymeric mesh 30which is a woven or knit material of open texture formed of polyamide,e.g., Polyamide 6, or other synthetic polymeric fabric. The threads 32forming the mesh correspond to the radiopaque sutures of FIG. 1 or 2and, therefore, include nanoparticle sized radiopaque material 18substantially uniformly dispersed throughout the thickness and length ofeach thread. Another form of surgical device is shown in FIG. 4, whichillustrates a foil implant 40 comprising a smooth polyamide, e.g.,Polyamide 6, or other synthetic polymeric sheet having a thickness from0.01-2.0 mm and having incorporated within the sheet during itsformation nanoparticle sized radiopaque material 18 substantiallyuniformly dispersed throughout the thickness of the sheet.

It will be appreciated that these forms of radiopaque surgical repairdevices are only illustrative of the type of radiopaque surgical repairdevices which are useful in the method of the present invention. Otherdevice constructions and other polymeric materials may be used to formimageable sutures, meshes, foils, and the like, useful in the method ofthe present invention, provided that the imaging material issubstantially uniformly dispersed to provide the desired visualizationthroughout the entire device. When radiopaque materials are used as theimaging material, the preferred radiopaque material is nanoparticulatetantalum or tantalum oxide, which are known to be highly bioinert and topossess high radiographic density, allowing them to be used atrelatively lower concentrations. However, due to the high cost oftantalum compounds, its use may not always be economically practical.Other highly desirable radiopaque materials include, for example,titanium, zirconium, silver, bismuth and platinum in elemental, salt oroxide form. Consistent with the foregoing criteria, still otherradiopaque materials may be used as well. However, inasmuch as theconcentration of radiopaque particles in the device is a function of theradiopacity of the particle selected, some radiopaque materials areunsuitable due to the high concentrations which would be required toachieve the desired radiopacity.

It is well known that elastic, polymeric sutures stretch and that whenthey are placed under tension they elongate and can ultimately fail. Forexample, available data suggests that failure of polyamide suturesoccurs generally somewhere between 20% and 30% elongation, dependingupon the characteristics of the particular suture. As the sutureelongates under stress, the suture diameter decreases thus decreasingthe amount of particulate radiopaque material within a fixed length ofthe suture. It has been found that this decrease in the density orconcentration of radiopaque material within the fixed length of thesuture as a function of elongation can be measured in vivo for anyparticular suture. It has also been found that the decrease in suturediameter within a fixed length of the suture as a function of elongationcan be measured in vivo for any particular suture. Accordingly, thepresent invention provides a number of methods for monitoring theprogress of healing of a sutured repair within the body of a mammal byquantitative in vivo monitoring the condition of an elastic, stretchablepolymeric suture having a radiopaque material substantially uniformlydispersed therein along its length which has been inserted into the bodyin a surgical procedure. The ultimate goal of the methods is to providetotally reliable in vivo measurement of the healing process followingsurgical repairs by taking advantage of the change in physical and/orimaging material concentration characteristics during healing ofsurgically inserted radiopaque polymeric, non-absorbable repair devices.

Initially, the in vivo relationship between radiopaque materialconcentration in a fixed length of the suture and corresponding sutureelongation is empirically determined, e.g., via cadaver studies, for theparticular radiopaque suture to be used. This includes determining theradiopaque material concentration at which suture rupture occurs due toelongation. With this relationship available, it would be prudent forthe physician, substantially immediately following surgical repair usingradiopaque sutures, to order a study of the sutured repair to measure invivo the radiopaque material concentration in a fixed length of thesuture within the body. This determines the base line concentration ofradiopaque material in said suture before any elongation occurs. As usedherein, the term “substantially immediately” is intended to refer to atime frame following the surgical procedure which is sufficiently shortto avoid suture elongation. This base line concentration of radiopaquematerial in the suture is converted, using the developed relationship ofradiopaque material concentration to corresponding suture elongation,into terms of suture elongation. The physician is primarily concernedwith the status of the repair sutures during the period betweeninsertion and full healing. During that period if elongation of thesuture occurs, then the diameter of the suture and/or the thickness ofthe radiopaque material containing portion of the suture will diminishand the density or amount or concentration of radiopaque material withinthe fixed length of suture will also diminish. The extent of anyelongation of the sutures will be evident by comparing the sutureelongation corresponding to each periodically determined radiopaquematerial concentration measurement to the base line suture elongation,to any previously measured suture elongations and to the suture ruptureelongation to determine the condition of the suture relative to its baseline and to its rupture elongation at any time during the healingprocess. This information will allow a physician to determine whetherthe sutured repair is healing properly or is damaged and, if the latter,the seriousness of the damage and whether medical or surgicalintervention is appropriate. Alternatively, particularly where healingoccurs over a shorter term, the physician may elect to make only one invivo measurement of the radiopaque material concentration in a fixedlength of the sutures at a selected time following surgical insertionand, using the developed relationship of radiopaque materialconcentration to suture elongation and suture failure, determine whethersuture elongation has occurred and, if so, how close the sutures are tosuture rupture elongation.

In another illustrative embodiment the suture material is subjected tostress tests in an environment similar to that which exists when in use.Wherever possible, the stress tests should be conducted under simulatedin vivo conditions to account for any chemical embrittlement ordissolution effects. The stress-strain relationship of the suture fromonset of elongation all the way to failure, including evaluation of thedeformation by optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy(SEM), can be accomplished. Pulling or stretching stress is applied to asuture specimen within an SEM, which allows a measurement of the suturediameter over a fixed length of suture and a calculation of the decreasein suture diameter over a fixed length of the suture at increasingincrements of applied stress up until suture failure. This provides, foreach suture tested, a relationship between the measured decrease insuture diameter at each increment of applied stress, including theunstressed or base line suture diameter (at zero percent decrease insuture diameter) and the failure diameter. With this relationshipavailable, it would be prudent for the physician, substantiallyimmediately following surgical repair using radiopaque sutures, to ordera study of the sutured repair to measure in vivo the radiopaque materialconcentration in a fixed length of the suture within the body. Thisdetermines the base line concentration of radiopaque material in saidsuture before any elongation occurs. As used herein, the term“substantially immediately” is intended to refer to a time framefollowing the surgical procedure which is sufficiently short to avoidsuture elongation. This base line concentration of radiopaque materialin the suture is converted, using the previously developed relationshipof radiopaque material concentration to corresponding suture elongation,into terms of suture elongation or diameter. Alternatively, thephysician could order at this time an in vivo visualization of thesuture diameter over a fixed length of suture to obtain a base linesuture diameter. Again, the physician is primarily concerned with thestatus of the repair sutures during the period between insertion andfull healing. During that period in vivo visualizations of the suturediameter over a fixed length of suture are periodically made, forexample, by X-ray, MRI, CAT scans, ultrasound, or other visualizationtechnique which may be most appropriate and compared to the previouslydeveloped relationship of suture diameter to stress for the particularsuture in use. If stretching of the suture occurs, then the diameter ofthe suture over the fixed length will diminish and the extent of anydiameter decrease will be evident by comparing the diameter decreasecorresponding to each periodically determined visualization to the baseline suture diameter, to any previously measured suture diameter and tothe suture rupture diameter to determine the condition of the suturerelative to its base line and to its rupture condition at any timeduring the healing process. This information will allow a physician todetermine whether the sutured repair is healing properly or is damagedand, if the latter, the seriousness of the damage and whether medical orsurgical intervention is appropriate. Alternatively, particularly wherehealing occurs over a shorter term, the physician may elect to make onlyone in vivo visualization of the suture diameter over a fixed length ofthe sutures at a selected time following surgical insertion and, usingthe previously developed relationship of suture diameter reduction tosuture elongation and suture failure, determine whether sutureelongation has occurred and, if so, how close the sutures are to suturerupture elongation.

Particularly for multifilament sutures which include a core and asheath, as previously described, it may be informative to know whetherthe sheath is failing prior to the core and, if so, how much prior. Thisinformation can be determined, if it occurs, during the aforementionedstress tests using optical microscopy and SEM. If sheath failure priorto suture failure is noted, it is noteworthy at what radiopaque sutureconcentration or suture diameter reduction the sheath failure occurs.This will furnish the physician with still another data point to assistin determining the condition of the sutured repair relative to theanticipated time for complete healing of the repair. For example if,hypothetically, for a particular type and size of suture, it is knownthat sheath failure occurs very shortly prior to suture failure, thenthe physician will know that if sheath failure has occurred, then somemedical or surgical intervention is likely warranted. Conversely, if,hypothetically, for a particular type and size of suture, it is knownthat sheath failure occurs well prior to suture failure, then sheathfailure can be used as an indication of approximately how long it may bebefore complete suture failure and, depending upon the time to completehealing, whether any medical or surgical intervention is warranted.

In a particularly desirable embodiment of the invention, the task ofcomparing imaging material concentration measurements, suture diametermeasurements, suture elongation measurements and the like and signalingto the physician, where appropriate, that the surgical repair is damagedto the extent that medical or surgical intervention may be warranted isachieved by linking the output of visualization equipment (e.g., x-ray,MRI, ultrasound) to a computer which has previously been furnishedrelevant information regarding the behavior of the particular surgicalrepair device under healing stress as well as prior periodic postsurgical in vivo measurements of the repair device. Thus, for example,if the surgical repair device is non-absorbable sutures containingimageable material uniformly dispersed therein, and the relevantmeasurement is diameter of the suture over a fixed length of suture, thecomputer would have stored in its memory information relevant to theparticular suture type comprising, at least, the known changes of suturediameter over a fixed length of suture with applied stretching stress,the base line in vivo post surgical suture diameter over a fixed lengthof suture before healing occurs, prior periodic post surgical in vivomeasurements of the suture diameter over a fixed length of suture andthe suture diameter over a fixed length of suture at which suturerupture occurs. In addition, the computer would have in its memory theanticipated normal healing time for the particular surgical repair.Armed with this information and programmed with an appropriate algorithmfor comparing and evaluating the measurements fed to it by thevisualization equipment, the computer is able to assess the healingprogress of the surgical repair. If desired, the computer could be madeto provide an alert signal to the physician, for example, in the form ofa visual or audible signal to any external system, to alert thephysician to the existence of a wound healing condition potentiallyrequiring attention or intervention.

It should be appreciated that the goal of providing quantitative in vivomonitoring of the healing process following surgical repair by using theunique properties of radiopaque sutures is merely illustrated by themethods disclosed herein and is equally applicable to other imagingmaterial surgical repair devices. The ability to quantify the healingprocess is of great diagnostic importance in procedures like tendonrepair, hernia repair and wherever monitoring of a long-duration healingprocess is necessary. It will provide timely alert of potentialcatastrophic failure of the surgical repair. To this end it will be seenthat the goal is achieved by, where appropriate, characterizing thesuture failure mechanism, determining the optimum or, at least,functional indicia of suture failure and the sensor or instrumentationbest able to accurately provide the necessary data for assessing thevarious stages of suture degradation prior to failure. This informationis vital to developing monitoring guidelines, in the nature of charts,tables, algorithms, and the like, including reliable sensinginstrumentation, for the physician to use in assessing whether thesutured repair is healing properly or is damaged and, if the latter, theseriousness of the damage.

While the present invention has been described in terms of specificembodiments thereof, it will be understood that no limitations areintended to the details of construction or design other than as definedin the appended claims.

1. A method of in vivo monitoring the condition of an internal bodyrepair in a human or animal in which an imageable, non-absorbable repairdevice, having non-absorbable, particulate imaging materialsubstantially uniformly dispersed therewithin, which device deforms dueto stresses of the healing process, has been surgically inserted withinthe body to effect the repair, comprising: a) in vivo sensing using anexternal to the body imaging device by a medical practitioner ofdimensional deformation of said imageable repair device during thepost-surgical healing process; b) comparing the sensed dimensionaldeformation with a previously developed correlation between said senseddimensional deformation and the value of said dimension at which failureoccurs of repair devices having comparable size, construction andchemical composition characteristics; c) wherein said sensed value ofsaid dimension relative to the repair device's failure value of saiddimension, considered in conjunction with the anticipated time forcomplete healing of said repair, provides information to said medicalpractitioner as to the condition of the repair and is indicative ofwhether medical or surgical intervention is appropriate.
 2. A method, asclaimed in claim 1, wherein said in vivo sensing and comparativeanalysis occurs repetitively at spaced time intervals subsequent torepair device insertion.
 3. A method, as claimed in claim 1, whereinsaid dimensional deformation of said repair device is a decrease in thediameter of said repair device over a predetermined length of device. 4.A method, as claimed in claim 1, wherein said previously developedcorrelation is an in vivo correlation.
 5. A method, as claimed in claim1, wherein said repair device is formed of a polyamide.
 6. A method, asclaimed in claim 1, wherein said repair device comprises a filamentarycore and a sheath surrounding said core along its length, said sheathhaving substantially uniformly dispersed therein non-absorbableradiopaque nanoparticles, and said sensed dimensional deformation is adecrease in the diameter of said repair device over a predeterminedlength of said repair device.
 7. A method, as claimed in claim 6,wherein said core is formed of a first polyamide material, said sheathis formed of a second polyamide material and the melting temperature ofsaid first polyamide material is at least 30° C. greater than themelting temperature of said second polyamide material.
 8. A method, asclaimed in claim 7, wherein said first polyamide material is Polyamide66 and said second polyamide material is Polyamide
 6. 9. A method, asclaimed in claim 1, wherein said repair device is a surgical suture or amesh implant.
 10. A method, as claimed in claim 7, wherein said repairdevice is a surgical suture or a mesh implant.
 11. A method, as claimedin claim 1, wherein said repair device comprises a thin polymeric,substantially planar sheet having non-absorbable imaging nanoparticlessubstantially uniformly dispersed therein.
 12. A method, as claimed inclaim 11, wherein said thin polymeric sheet is a polyamide sheet.
 13. Amethod, as claimed in claim 12, wherein said thin polymeric sheet isPolyamide 6 and said repair device is a foil implant.
 14. A method, asclaimed in claim 1, wherein said imaging material is a particulatematerial which is detectable by an imaging device selected from x-rays,electromagnetic radiation in the radio frequency domain which is usefulfor medical imaging, MRI and ultrasound.
 15. A method, as claimed inclaim 14, wherein said imaging material is non-absorbable, radiopaquenanoparticles substantially uniformly dispersed in said repair device.16. A method, as claimed in claim 10 wherein said imaging material isnon-absorbable, radiopaque nanoparticles substantially uniformlydispersed in a sheath of said suture and in the mesh of said implant.